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olivine

American  
[ol-uh-veen, ol-uh-veen] / ˈɒl əˌvin, ˌɒl əˈvin /

noun

  1. Mineralogy. any of a group of magnesium iron silicates, (Mg,Fe) 2 SiO 4 , occurring in olive-green to gray-green masses as an important constituent of basic igneous rocks.

olivine British  
/ ˌɒlɪˈviːn, ˈɒlɪˌviːn /

noun

  1. Also called: chrysolite.  an olive-green mineral of the olivine group, found in igneous and metamorphic rocks. The clear-green variety (peridot) is used as a gemstone. Composition: magnesium iron silicate. Formula: (MgFe) 2 SiO 4 . Crystal structure: orthorhombic

  2. any mineral in the group having the general formula (Mg,Fe,Mn,Ca) 2 SiO 4

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
olivine Scientific  
/ ŏl′ə-vēn′ /

  1. An olive-green to brownish-green orthorhombic mineral. Olivine is a common mineral in the igneous rocks, such as basalt and gabbro, that make up most of the Earth's crust beneath the oceans. Chemical formula: (Mg,Fe) 2 SiO 4 .

  2. ◆ Olivine in which the mafic component consists entirely of magnesium is called forsterite. Chemical formula: Mg 2 SiO 4 .

  3. ◆ Olivine in which the mafic component consists entirely of iron is called fayalite. Chemical formula: Fe 2 SiO 4 .

Other Word Forms

  • olivinic adjective
  • olivinitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of olivine

1785–95; < German Olivin, equivalent to Olive olive + -in -ine 2

Vocabulary lists containing olivine

Rocks and Minerals - Middle School and High School

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They are produced in a number of ways but the main process involves the interaction of ground water with iron-rich minerals such as olivine.

From BBC • Dec. 11, 2023

Analysis of Phaethon's infrared spectrum showed that the asteroid was composed of at least olivine, carbonates, iron sulfides, and oxide minerals.

From Science Daily • Nov. 28, 2023

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution geochemist Forrest Horton discovered helium isotope ratios in olivine samples from the Baffin lava fields that had up to 50 times the concentrations found in atmospheric levels.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2023

However, in those cases they had been more complex, magnesium-rich crystals of olivine and pyroxene.

From Scientific American • Oct. 20, 2023

Pretended distinction between ancient and modern lavas.—One of the new lavas was observed to contain masses of olivine of an olive-green color, resembling those which occur in one of the lavas of the Vivarais.

From Principles of Geology or, The Modern Changes of the Earth and its Inhabitants Considered as Illustrative of Geology by Lyell, Charles, Sir

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.